Automobile signaling device



w. E. F. G|BSON. AUTOMOBILE SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-11,1922.

Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

1471/2 nu VII/drill H INVENTOR. LLIAM Ema RDTmuus qlbfionl Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

um'ren stares ATENT 'QFFJQEL:

WILLIAM EDWARD rnaivcrs ernson, or ven convna, Bnrrrsn .coL BI'A, t mer, ASSIGNOR on ONE-HALE 'ro annnnw aonnsron, or vancon vna, tamer."

" AUTOMOBILE SIGNALING Dev ce.

Application filed March 11, 1922. Serial noptiassa To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVrL IAM EDWARD FRANCIS GrnsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Vancouver, in

the Province of British Columbia, Canada,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Signaling De vices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automobile signaling devices and the ob-- ject of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device which can be readily and easily applied to an automobile for manipulation by the driver to indicate the direction of travel of the car, either straight ahead or to the right or -left,-as the case may be,'o'r at intersections, bends, or turns in streets or highways, 'thereby'enabling observers to determine the course of the car and thus avoiding accident.

I attainthis object by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich- Fig. l'is a perspective view of my. de-

v ce. I

Fig/ 2 is a plan view of the operating mechanism. p

Fig; 3 is a View of the slotted end of the box.

' Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view of the pinion shaft. 3

Fig. 5 is a View illustrating the application of the device to an openautomobile; I

3 5 Fig 6 is a view illustrating its application to a closed vehicle.

Similar figures, of. reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

The device consists of a box, indicated generally by thelnumeral 1, the bottom plate 2 of which is extended to form side flanges 3' and a While at its front end the box is provided with an apertured vertical flange 5', the apertures being indicated by the numerals 6 and 7. The rear end of the box is provided with .a slot 8 the upper edge of which has a notch 9 formed in it at midlength, as shown in Fig. 3. The height ofthecover plate '10 of the box above-the hottom plate is suffi e'ient to provide a space '11 within which is housed apinion 1'2 and a toothed sector .13 which meshes with the pinion, ,as shown in Fig. 2. The pinion is secured to a vertical threaded shaft 14: ich eet ed ,i re jthrei eh t e bott m plate 2and the coverplate 10 so'that threaded extens ons 15 and 16 are provided exteriorly of the box and thus the pinion 12*.

is rotatably mounted, while the sector 13 is pivoted on a pivot 17 and is provided with an'extens1on rod 18 projecting beyondthe end of the box through the slot 8, being nor mallyxseated in-the notch 9,.so that'it is held centrally againstflinadvertent movement. v r s I '65 19. indicates a rod'provided at one end with a socket 20 threaded internally to cm respondto the threadedextension 1.5,Ithe opposite end of which rod is bent at right anglesto form an arm -21 adjacent the-outerend of" which is secured a vertical tubular.

member22 from which extends forwardly a hand 28. This member is slotted on its forward side as at 9A, and is provided in itsinterior with an incandescent bulb- 25 and socket 26 connected to a suitablecircuit, the wires .ofwhich arepartly' shown and indicated by the numerals27 and 28 so that when thelight is switched on it is projectedthrough the 'slotl24e and illuminates the .80 hand. 29 indicates .a rubber .sleeve mounted on the rod 19 to contact with the windshield glass when in place to preventibumping or rattling of the device,- -whil e 30 indicates'a' cap-threaded on the extension 16.,to protect the same fromthe weather and damage to i the threadrwhen out of use.

In order tomount the device in operative position a plate 31 is provided the longitudinal edges of which are doubled over to form .90

rooves 32 and 33 in which thefianges 3 notched, as at 36, to provide for-passing 1 over shaft 14. a

In use with an open automobile the box 1 and plate :31 are assembled together and the clamp 3 1 is placed over the upperedge of the windshield 37, beingtightened in position by the screws 35, the rod'19'being'secured to the lower extension 15 of the-pinion shaft 14 so that the arm21and hand 23: point forwardly, being held in that's-posit on by the engagement of the sector-operating arm 18 in the notch'9; In this position the hand indicates that the vehicle is travelling in a straight ahead direction. When 1t-1s desired; to ind,icate turn ing to the left the driver grips the arm 18 and, depressing it out of the notch 9, moves it to the left to the end of the slot 8, thus partially rotating the pinion l2 and the shaft 14 and swingin the arm 21 and'hand 23 to the left, as in icated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, the arm 21 being, of course, of sufficient length to project the hand beyond the car. A re turn movement of the arm 18 to seat it again in the notch 9 returns the hand to its nor mal straight ahead position While by moving the arm 18 to the right the hand is swung to the right to indicate a turning movement of the vehicle in that direction.

A. slight modification is made when the device is used with closed vehicles, as indicated in Fig. 6. In this case the box is secured in place by means of screws passed through the apertures 6 and 7 of the flange 5 and the cap 30 is removed from the upper threaded extension 16 of the pinion shaft 14. The upper end of the rod 19 is bent as at 37 so that when secured to the extension 16 it may pass first upwardly through a small aperture 38 in the roofof the vehicle, then forwardly to clear the edge of the roof, and then downwardly into the position Shown in Fig. 5 with reference to the open vehicle, its operation being the same asalready described.

From the foregoing'it will be seen that I have provided a simple, practical, and inexpensive signaling device for use on auto mobiles and other moving vehicles.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An automobile signaling device comprising a vertical rod provided on its upper end with a pinion and bent at right angles at its opposite end to form a direction indicating member, a toothed sector meshing with said pinion having an operating rod connected to it, and a plate carrying said pinion and sector provided with a clamp member.

2. An automobile signaling device com prising a vertical rod provided on its upper end with a pinion and bent at its opposite end'to form a right angled extension,.a direction indicating device mounted on. the end of said extension, a toothed sector meshing with said pinion having anoperating rod connected to it, and a plate carrying said pinion and sector provided with a clamp member. I

3. An automobile signaling device comprising a vertical rod provided on its upper end with a pinion and bent at its opposite end to form an extension, a vertical tubular member slotted in its front wall mounted adjacent the end of said extension, a direction indicating device projecting from said slot, a toothed sector meshing with said pinion having an operating rod connected to it, and means for mounting said vertical rod on the automobile windshield.

provided at its upper end with a threaded socket adapted to fit either of the pinion shaft extensions, said rod being bent at right angles at its opposite end and extended and provided with an indicating device at the extremity of the extension.

5. An automobile signaling device comprising a box having a slot in one end notched, at midlength of one edge, a pinion. mounted within the box adjacent its opposite end, a shaft secured to said pinion having its opposite ends threaded and extending rotatably through the topand bot; tom of the box. a toothed sector. pivoted within the box meshing with the said pinion and having an operating rod connected to y it extending through the said end slot and normally seated in the notch thereof, arod provided at its upper end with a threaded socket adapted to fit either of the pinion. shaft extensions said rod being bent at right angles at its opposite end and extended'and provided with an indicating device at the extremity of the extension, a plate on which said box is removably mounted, and a clamp, ing device secured tothe underside of the said plate.

6. An automobile signaling device comprising a box having a slot in one end.

notched at midlength of one edge, a pinion mounted within the box ad acent the op posite end, a shaft secured to said pinion having its opposite ends threaded and extending rotatably through the top and bottom of the box, a toothed sector p voted within the box meshing with the said pin ion and having an operating rod connected to it extending through the'said end slot and normally seated in the notch thereof, a rod provided at .its upper end with a threaded socket adapted to fit either of the pinion shaft extensions, said rod beingbent at right angles at its oppositeend to form an extension, a vertical tubular member slotted in its front wall mounted adjacent the end of said extension, a direction indicating device projecting from said wall slot, and a clamp member connected to. the bottom of said box.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature at the city of Vancouver, B. (1., this 28th day of February, 1922.

WllLLiAllz'l EDWARD FRANCHS GIBSON. 

